CICF News

College Credit – And Debt

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Albert Einstein said, "The value of a college education is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think."

Today, though, the value of college is often accompanied by crushing debt. College freshmen entering four-year state-supported universities in fall 2007 paid 31% more in tuition, fees and lodging than students paid in 2003. It’s not surprising then that, from 2007 to 2012, student loan balances grew by 75%, according to a TransUnion study. A recently released infographic provides an overview of the financial realities of financing a college education today, as well as the increasing costs.

Meanwhile, only 54 of every 100 students at two- and four-year universities earn a degree within six years. So, for many students who take on educational debt, the promised payoff of greater earning potential is not realized – or at least not within six years.

Through both the College Readiness and Success Initiative and a range of scholarship programs, CICF is working to make college diplomas both a possibility and a positive financial decision for local youth. The College Readiness and Success initiative helps students prepare for and identify postsecondary options that work for them, as well as financial assistance to make college affordable. Meanwhile, both donor-designated and CICF-managed scholarship programs provide necessary financial resources to central Indiana teens and adults who are committed to earning degrees.

Read more about one scholarship recipient's journey from Noblesville to Namibia and more stories about CICF's commitment to college success.

The Funding Factor

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

While household assets sank and unemployment soared during the economic downturn in the last decade, another important economic driver – donor-advised funds that support a range of arts, social services and cultural institutions and employees – suffered a significant hit. But in 2011, those funds bounced back, advancing beyond their pre-recession 2007 levels in both value and philanthropic giving, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

CICF works with many donor-advised funds (Personal Foundations), through which donors create an account, make an immediate donation and then make grants over the course of many years, rely on effective financial management. Many donors turn to community foundations, like Central Indiana Community Foundation, to invest and grow their funds and to provide grant-making support. Contributions from donor-advised funds represent $3 out of every $100 given to charity annually.

And those donors are seeing that choice pay off. In 2011, assets in donor-advised funds in the United States grew by 17 percent. Meanwhile, the US economy grew by 1.8 percent (inflation-adjusted), and the Dow-Jones Industrial Average grew by 3 percent.

At CICF, donors can choose from several kinds of funds that will help them connect their passions to community needs. Our Personal Foundations offer donors an organized and affordable approach to charitable giving, along with the support of CICF’s highly-skilled advisory and grantmaking staff.

Read about CICF donors who are using their Personal Foundations to turn their passions into community impact.

Indianapolis Hosts Collaborative Workshop to Advance Livability in Six Major US Cities

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Indianapolis has been chosen by CEOs for Cities to host a Livability Challenge Workshop, to be held at the Alexander Hotel and several downtown landmarks in Indianapolis from May 1 to 3, 2013. With livability defined by Indianapolis leaders as “access to art, beauty and nature every day,” the three-day Livability Challenge features visits to several Indianapolis locations in addition to presentations lead by representatives from five additional US cities including Cleveland, Philadelphia, St. Louis, St. Paul and Minneapolis. The theme for the three-day workshop is “Done, Doing and Dreaming.”

Plans for the Livability Challenge Workshop include bike and walking tours that feature several Indianapolis projects, including the Cultural Trail, Glick Peace Walk and The Canal.

Sponsored and hosted by Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF), the Livability Challenge Workshop will feature projects that dramatically influence urban livability from both the visiting city teams and local efforts. Through bike and walking tours, participants will explore both finished and in-progress projects including the Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene & Marilyn Glick, The Platform and Bike Hub at the Indianapolis City Market, and downtown Canal. The invitation-only event will also include input and discussions from approximately 60 leaders from the six participating cities.

The event’s agenda will also feature presentations identifying livability trends from local and national experts and mayors, including: Greg Ballard, Mayor, City of Indianapolis; R. T. Rybak, Mayor, City of Minneapolis; Lee Fisher, President and CEO, CEOS for Cities; Andrew Howard, Co-Creating Member, The Better Block; and Brian Payne, President and CEO, Central Indiana Community Foundation and The Indianapolis Foundation. At the close of the event, the visiting and local participants will develop a list of five key approaches to increasing livability, which will be shared with the 45 cities in the CEOS for Cities national network.

“We are honored that CEOs for Cities chose Indianapolis to host this workshop, not only because it allows our community to showcase our achievements in livability and quality of life, but also because it will allow us to learn from other cities that are focused on this important aspect of community life,” said Brian Payne, President and CEO, Central Indiana Community Foundation. “The Livability Challenge Workshop will also present central Indiana’s leaders with a powerful chance to share our ideas and vision.”

CICF's own Inspiring Places Initiative seeks to provide thought leadership and opportunities for Indianapolis leaders to participate in national learning networks about quality of life and placemaking innovations. This focus has led CICF to serve as the major sponsor of the Indianapolis network's membership and participation with national think tank CEOs for Cities.

Contemporary Kids

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

When Indianapolis Public Schools introduced their balanced calendar in 2011, working parents faced a special challenge: finding interesting – and affordable - things for their children to do while school was out of session. The school system, like many charters and townships schools, provides remediation and a limited number of enrichment activities during breaks. Still, many families struggle to find something positive for kids to do while parents are at work.

Children at the Indy MOCA camp kept journals, to record inspirations and thoughts, which were often used in creating their own art.

Campers took advantage of the surprisingly wintry Spring Break weather to explore colors.

In 2013, parents on the near south side had a new option – a special art camp at Garfield Park run by the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art (Indy MOCA). Over the two-week spring break, Indy MOCA set up shop in Garfield Park’s Art Center, offering kids from local IPS and charter schools the chance to make their own art. Through two week-long sessions, campers were busy, from creating their own stop-motion animation to working alongside visiting local artists.

A Camp for Creating

In one of the Indy MOCA camps, which were supported in part by an operational grant from The Indianapolis Foundation, the children wrestled with a short but complex question: What is it?! By exploring everything from Andy Warhol’s pop art to cartoons on PeeWee’s Playhouse, the kids had the chance to think about the question and to create art that reflected their answers.

“These children are so interesting, with great things to say and an interesting perspective,” says Shauta Marsh, Indy MOCA’s Director.

The group’s goal was to make art accessible for the diverse children at camp. In the second week of camp, five local artists visited and co-created art with the campers. One visiting artist, John Clark, helped the kids explore collage and surrealism. Artists from Big Car and Know No Stranger offered campers the chance to explore community-based and performance-focused approaches to art.
Though they explored a range of contemporary art approaches, the staff made sure that the kids had a chance to have a good time while they got creative.

“It was important to make this camp accessible – and fun,” says Marsh. “So, we follow their lead. When they get bored, we switch it up.”

Contemporary Conversations

Ultimately, the camp allows Indy MOCA the chance to achieve a key part of their vision – to be a community asset that sparks conversation between artists and community.

Marsh also sees Indy MOCA as helping to forge connections between the larger contemporary art world and Indianapolis. The museum has chosen to focus on non-native artists, those who can bring new energy and ideas to the cultural life of central Indiana. One of their 2012 exhibits featured LaToya Ruby Frazier, an artist whose photographs of her rustbelt hometown recently received positive attention from the New York Times.

“We’re open to creating a conversation with artists from other places,” says Marsh. “That’s what we want to contribute - offering different experiences and perspectives to our city, to artists, to kids, to everyone.”

Read more about the impact of CICF's grants.

Photos courtesy of Indy MOCA, used with permission.

2013 Lilly Scholarship Recipients Announced

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Thirteen students from Marion and Hamilton counties have been named recipients of four-year, full-tuition scholarships as the Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) 2013 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars.

A total of 98 central Indiana students were interviewed for the scholarships, which stipulated that recipients must: plan to pursue a fulltime baccalaureate course of study beginning in the fall of 2013 at a public or private college or university in Indiana; demonstrate an un-weighted GPA of at least 2.5 (3.0 for students in Hamilton County); demonstrate financial need; demonstrate leadership or initiative in their school or community; and promise to, upon graduation, give back to the community.

Thirty-two Hamilton County students were interviewed by the Hamilton County Lilly Community Endowment Scholarship Selection Committee for the scholarships. The following four were selected as scholarship recipients: Luke Williams, Bishop Chatard High School; Nathan Barr, Fishers High School; Linh Ha, Fishers High School; and Kainat Akmal, St. Theodore Guerin High School.

Sixty-six Marion County students were interviewed by the Marion County Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Selection Committee for the scholarships. The following nine were selected as as scholarship recipients: Jacqueline Woodcock, Perry Meridian High School; Mizraim Lorenzo-Aguilar, Ben Davis University High School; Alisa Schaefer, Providence Cristo Rey High School; Taylor Wilks, Pike High School; Rebekah Pack, Warren Central High School; Bailey Butrum, Bishop Chatard High School; Polet Morgado-Arellano, Ben Davis University High School; Liliana Patino, Warren Central High School; and Kelly Marcelo, Perry Meridian High School.

Each nominee was nominated by his/her guidance counselor before being invited to complete an application and then interview through The Indianapolis Foundation, a CICF affiliate serving Marion County or Legacy Fund, a CICF affiliate serving Hamilton County. Any accredited high school may nominate up to two students in each county. The finalists’ names were submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. (ICI) for final approval.

The scholarships are the result of a statewide Lilly Endowment Inc. initiative to help Hoosier students reach higher levels of education. Indiana ranks among the lowest states in the percentage of residents over the age of 25 with a bachelor’s degree. A total of 142 scholarships were awarded statewide.

Read more about one Lilly Scholar's efforts to give back through her service with the Peace Corps.

Read more about CICF's Scholarship Program.

The Indianapolis Foundation to Administer Community Crime Prevention Grant Program

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

On April 22, 2013, the Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Council voted to transfer management of its $2 million Community Crime Prevention Grant program to The Indianapolis Foundation, an affiliate of Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF). In June 2012, the Community Crime Prevention Grant program awarded over $1.8M to 18 organizations that specifically provided support to youth programs and to programs that helped previously incarcerated individuals back in to jobs and back in to the community.

The Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Council created the Community Crime Prevention funding stream in 2007.

The Indianapolis Foundation Board of Trustees has agreed to serve as the fiscal agent and grant manager for the 2013 $2 million Community Crime Prevention Grant allocation, with resources going to support community-based organizations that can demonstrate community impact.

Since its creation in 1916, the Indianapolis Foundation has awarded more nearly $200 million in grants to Marion County-based not-for-profits serving a broad range of people and addressing a wide variety of community needs. A high percentage of these grants have been directed at diverse populations and include support for: impoverished individuals and families working to achieve self-sufficiency; increased post-secondary education and vocational training attainment, specifically in low-income populations and; to help provide basic needs for economically disadvantaged families.

“The Indianapolis Foundation has nearly a century’s worth of experience making grants to effective not-for-profits in Indianapolis,” said Brian Payne, President, The Indianapolis Foundation (and Central Indiana Community Foundation). “We also believe there is the potential for great synergy between connecting organizations with crime prevention and ex-offender re-entry programs with CICF-led initiatives focused on self-sufficiency, youth programs and educational attainment.”

The current Community Crime Prevention grants are administered by the Indianapolis Parks Foundation and end as of May 31st, 2013. Final grant reports are due to the Parks Foundation in June, 2013. All current Community Crime Prevention Grant recipients are invited to reapply for grants from July 1 to July 31, 2013. Organizations will be able to file online grant applications during that period via cicf.org. Current Community Crime Prevention Grant recipients are encouraged to contact CICF staff with any questions. CICF staff and The Indianapolis Foundation board of trustees will first conduct a listening tour of major community stakeholders before establishing specific grant criteria.

For additional grant information, contact Alicia Barnett at abarnett@cicf.org, or 317.634.2423

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY CRIME PREVENTION GRANT PROGRAM:
In August 2006, the Community Crime Prevention Task Force was convened to study the root causes of crime in the community, determine the types of programs most likely to prevent crime or effectively intervene in the lives of those at risk of criminal behavior, and make recommendations about how the community could prevent crime in the future.

The task force examined the underlying problems that led to a surge in violent crime in Indianapolis and in 2007 recommended actions to stem the violence and to prevent crime before it occurs. In July 2007, the City-County Council passed Proposal No. 264 to increase the County Option Income Tax (COIT) and establish the Community Crime Prevention Grant (CCPG) program to provide funding for crime prevention initiatives recommended by the Task Force its January 2007 final report.

According to the Community Crime Prevention Report from 2007, the majority of violent crime is committed by a small group of individuals that have already committed a crime or demonstrates specific behaviors that are associated with increased criminal activity (e.g., gang activity or drug offenders). Since 2007, the Community Crime Prevention Grant program has provided nearly $12 million in grants to local education, health, youth development, workforce development and ex-offender re-entry organizations focused on reducing and preventing crime.

ABOUT THE INDIANAPOLIS FOUNDATION:

Established in 1916, The Indianapolis Foundation was one of the first community trusts in America. The Foundation is a public charity and an affiliate of Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF), a collaborative effort between the community foundations serving Marion and Hamilton Counties. As Indiana’s oldest and largest community foundation, The Indianapolis Foundation was created to ensure that the quality of life in Marion County continuously improves; to help where the needs are greatest and the benefits to the community are most extensive; and to provide donors a vehicle for using their gifts in the best possible way now, and in the future as conditions in the community change. It awards approximately $7 million annually to support current and future community needs, and is governed by a board of six publicly-appointed trustees (Two are appointed by the Mayor of Indianapolis; two by the Marion County Circuit Court Judge; and two by the United States District Court presiding over Indianapolis).

ABOUT CENTRAL INDIANA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION:
Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) is a $600 million public foundation transforming the lives of central Indiana residents in three ways: consulting donors, family foundations and their professional advisors on charitable giving; awarding grants to effective not-for-profit organizations; and providing leadership to seize opportunities and address community needs. CICF was established in 1997 as a partnership between The Indianapolis Foundation, serving Marion County since 1916, and Legacy Fund, serving Hamilton County since 1991. For more information about CICF, visit cicf.org, or contact Mike Knight at mikek@cicf.org.

More Than $2.3 Million in Grants Will Benefit 40,000 Marion County Youth

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful's Youth Tree Team is a 2013 Summer Youth Program Fund grantee, as well as a previous grantee of The Glick Fund.

Children aged 4 to 19 years old will benefit from Summer Youth Program Fund Grants. Image courtesy Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center

The Summer Youth Program Fund, a funding collaborative of 11 local and national partners, will provide more than $2.3 million in grants to support programs at 154 organizations in Marion County. The grants will fund 184 low- or no-cost summertime programs, activities and experiences for 40,000 area children ages 4 to 19-years old, and include sports, overnight camping, career exploration, youth employment, community service, college access and academic enrichment.

Founded in 1995 by The Indianapolis Foundation and Lilly Endowment Inc., the Summer Youth Program Fund was the first funding collaborative dedicated to summer youth programs in the United States. Since 1995, the collaborative has contributed more than $36 million dollars in general operating and capital support to Marion County organizations that provide summertime programming.

For 2012-2013, the funding partners are: Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation, Inc.; Christel DeHaan Family Foundation; The Clowes Fund, Inc.; City of Indianapolis, DMD/HUD; Eli Lilly and Company; Hoover Family Foundation; The Indianapolis Foundation; JPMorgan Chase Foundation; Kroger, Lilly Endowment Inc.; Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

“The Summer Youth Program Fund demonstrates the power of collaboration along with a commitment to young people that’s shared by businesses, government, not-for-profits and foundations alike,” said Brian Payne, President and CEO of Central Indiana Community Foundation. “It’s a model of cooperation and support, and something our entire community should be proud of.”

More about the Summer Youth Program Fund.

For a complete list of funded programs, download the full Summer Youth Program Fund release.

Working Hard To Find Work

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

More than 6,000 Indianapolis Public Library visitors have used the labs’ services to advance their job search, resume writing, interview and computer skills since six Job Center Mobile Labs launched in June 2011. WorkOne staff and library assistants work together in the Job Centers, providing individual support for those job seekers. With six laptops available at each participating branch, people who need help can find both the expertise and technology needed for success in today’s job market. They also receive free USB flash drives, transportable memory devices on which they can save resumes and important documents.

One of those visitors, Edgar (who prefers to not publicize his full name), found all the job support he wanted. But he also found something just as important to anyone who is looking for a job, especially in today’s economy – encouragement. Working with Deborah Graves, an Academic Career Counselor with WorkOne, Edgar has been able to find not only a job-search resource but also a source of support and hope. His letter demonstrates the value of the Mobile Job Labs:

The Job Center Mobile Labs partnership receives financial support from The Indianapolis Foundation Library Fund and The Glick Fund, both Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) funds.

Read more about The Indianapolis Foundation Library Fund's work to support local libraries or The Glick Fund's community impact.

Remixed

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

After his grandfather passed away and the house his mom owned foreclosed, Marc found himself packing all of his things and moving to Indianapolis. No friends. No job. Nowhere to go. It was a difficult and lonely time for this 17-year-old who grew up in Michigan.

While searching online for something to do, he found the Media Workshop at the Central Library. What he thought was just a "workshop" that might help him create a few videos turned into a weekly activity and a life-changing experience.

Marc spends every Monday night at the Media Workshop - and he has for the past three years. He started with an interest in making videos, but has since discovered hidden musical talents he didn't know he had. He has taken advantage of every type of software and workstation available in the Media Workshop. Video, animation, illustration, music-mixing - you name it, Marc has tried it. He has created videos, submitted commercials in national competitions, mixed music and created CDs.

Read more about Marc and the Indianapolis Public Library's Media Workshop, a program supported by The Indianapolis Foundation Library Fund, in Kelly Young's article on Sky Blue Window, an online arts magazine focused on central Indiana and supported by The Indianapolis Foundation and the CICF Plus One Angel Investors.

The United States of…Poverty

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Almost one in every four Americans lives near or below the poverty line. That includes 37% of children aged five years and younger and almost half of American adults without a high school diploma.

Often, reports about poverty focus on one number – the rate of individuals who are at or below the “official” poverty line. For the US Federal Government, that line is $17,400 a year for a family of three. That’s less than $48 dollars a day. The government has an additional designation, “near poverty,” which applies to a family of three that makes $26,100 or less a year, just $71 a day. Even in central Indiana, which has been recognized as the least expensive major metropolitan area in the US, families with an income near or below the poverty level often struggle.

CICF focuses both its grantmaking and Community Leadership Initiatives on improving the lives – and the economic viability – of central Indiana’s citizens. Educational attainment and job opportunities directly connect with individuals’ and families’ ability to thrive financially. The Tracking Poverty infographic demonstrates the connection between high school and college success and financial health.

Read more about CICF's work to increase the economic health of families through the Family Success Initiative, as well as educational attainment through the College Readiness and Success Initiative.